The race for the 19th Congressional District got a little more interesting according to a new Siena Research Institute poll showing Rep. Chris Gibson's lead has shrunk by 11 points in a little more than a month.

An SRI poll taken in September showed Gibson with a 16 point lead over challenger Julian Schreibman, but a poll of likely voters released on Tuesday showed he lost some footing as his lead was reduced to only 5 points.

Each candidate has his own theory as to why the gap shrunk, with Schreibman saying it is proof that his message has been well received by voters in the district.

Advertisement

"We're certainly happy to see numbers that reflect the fact our message is very well received and our conversations with voters showing they want someone focusing on the middle class and small businesses," Schreibman said. "But the only report I care about is the one on Election Day."

Gibson, however, sees things differently, attributing his drop in the polls to the negative campaign Schreibman has been running. Despite this, Gibson's spokeswoman Stephanie Valle says he has no plans of returning fire.

"It's clear his opponent's constant barrage of attacks and even outright lies have had an effect," Valle said. "The congressman is not the type of candidate to respond in-kind to the type of messages [Schreibman] has made."

Schreibman said the attacks have gone both ways, as he said Gibson's have not been working and said it was merely the congressman's attempt to distract voters from his voting is in line with the Tea Party.

The two candidates have flooded the airways. To date, Gibson has spent $1.7 million on his campaign while Schreibman has shelled out $1.1 million, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission. Their respective national parties have also spent millions on advertising.

The poll also shows Gibson has lost his lead with voters in the counties surrounding Albany as he was up by 35 points in September over Schreibman but was only up 25, according to the latest poll.

Valle said Gibson still has a decent lead with upstate voters but blamed the closing of the gap on redistricting and the fact his district encompasses some new areas he hasn't gotten to yet.

"There are a few areas where we are garnering the least support, those are the ones that are newer," Valle said. "The exposure to him has been hinged by the barrage of attacks and lies. That is just an unfortunate attack his opponent has chosen."

Schreibman said he knew it would be tough to do well near Gibson's hometown but said the new polls numbers are positive news.

"We feel very good about the direction we're going all over the district," Schreibman said. "Of course in the area near his home we expected to take longer but things are moving in the right direction across the district."

Still, Gibson isn't worried as Valle said an internal poll showed Gibson up by 10, leading his camp to believe he lies somewhere between 7 to 8 points ahead.

"We feel very confident we have a plan that will result in victory on Nov. 6," Valle said.